The country, about to be free of illiteracy: INEA

Alexia Villaseñor and Laura Poy

La Jornada newspaper
Friday, August 8, 2025, p. 9

Mexico may declare territory free of illiteracy next December and obtain white flag, said Armando Contreras Castillo, general director of the National Institute for Adult Education (INEA), as the population of 15 years and more that does not know how to read or write will decrease from 4.1 to 3.82 percent.

We will reduce the absolute numbers of 4 million 127 thousand to 3 million 906 thousand, which would give us an index of 3.82 percent, which would be irreversible. We would comply with the goal of President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo to proclaim the country free of illiteracyhe said. Until July 28, 58 thousand 397 people have listed with certification, But we still have 4 million 38 thousand 439 who do not know how to read or write. Despite this, for the first time we exceed down the threshold of 4 percent of illiteracy. Today we have 3.95 percent.

In an interview with The dayHe indicated that the INEA has managed to enroll this year 852 thousand 800 people who sought to conclude their basic education or learn to read and write. This figure, he said, exceeds 650 thousand attended every year on average in past administrations. He admitted that just over 15 percent registered in the INEA does not conclude his literacy For any reasonwhich represents about 36 thousand people, of a total of 226 thousand.

In these almost 44 years around 31 million over 15 years have been attended. That is, 13 million 260 thousand have literate through the INEA. Another 6 million 700 thousand concluded its primary and 11 million 370 thousand, high school. At this step, we would need about 40 years to eradicate the educational lag in the country, not counting the 23 million 600 thousand over 20 years who have not started or completed the baccalaureatehe explained.

He acknowledged that the challenge to address the educational lag in the country is huge. To date, 7 million 539 thousand 494 over 15 years have not completed primary school, which represents 7.5 percent of the population of this age range. Nor have 15 million 854 thousand 155 (15.7 percent) over 15 years old have finished high school, in addition to those who do not have higher secondary education. Therefore, the educational lag in Mexico impacts 51 million 173 thousand people, which are Just 50 percent of those over 15 years old.

Contreras Castillo explained that at the cut on July 28, 105 thousand 310 people finished primary school, and 167 thousand 704, high school. That is to say, We have attended with its certificate of basic education and constancy of literacy to 333 thousand 411 people so far this administration. He added that 168,500 people are literacy and 114 thousand 380 are registered to finish primary school and 236,500 high school. In total, at the moment we serve 519 thousand 380 people in educational lag.

If the number of those who already have a certificate or perseverance and those who are studying are added, the attention in literacy is 226 thousand 898 people; 219 thousand 600 in primary and 406 thousand 250 in secondary school, to reach a total registration so far this year of 852 thousand 748 people.

Agreements

Given such a challenge, the INEA has launched more than twenty agreements with the public and private sector. Most of these, explained the official, implies the direct attention of those who want to literate or conclude their basic education, either because they are detected in public companies or dependencies or for personnel from these instances to join.

We have signed concrete agreements with 11 governors (Chiapas, Zacatecas, Tabasco, State of Mexico, Querétaro, Puebla, Morelos, Tlaxcala, Campeche, Nayarit and Aguascalientes). In addition, the Ministry of Welfare is helping us identify people who do not know how to read and write. At the same time, the Ministry of Tourism is in charge of literacy to residents of the 132 Magical Towns.

Other pacts are with the National Union of Education Workers, the National Pedagogical University, the 252 normal schools, the Metropolitan Autonomous University and the National Mathematics and Business Coordinator Councils.

As for the goal of reaching the zero illiteracy rate in Chiapas, the entity with the highest percentage of adult population in this condition, acknowledged that the task has been more complicated than thought. The smallest is the percentage, more difficulthe admitted. Locating people who do not know how to read or write is the first challenge, But the most complex is to convince them. Therefore, he said, in the entity the commitment is literacy in the mother tongue to those who request the service, since the INEA has materials in more than 66 languages.

However, he acknowledged that in the entity the registration is 90 thousand people served, although the Indices of the National Institute of Statistics and Geography say that there are 512 thousand, so we will miss a little time. Perhaps in the next two years we can achieve that zero illiteracy goalhe said.